How long do you think will the United Front (UF) Government survive?
It will complete its full term. Being a coalition of 13 parties and supported from the outside by a party (Congress) which has 136 members, it is bound to have certain ups and downs. But this does not spell doom for the Government.
Can the Congress under Sitaram Kesri win elections? Will the TMC join the Congress?
Sonia Gandhi is the only rallying point for all Congress forces. Beyond this I am not willing to say anything. The time has not come to even discuss a merger. The cadres of the TMC are convinced that theirs is the true Congress in Tamil Nadu.
What prompted you to invite the Congress to join the UF regime? Do you expect it to stake a claim as the single largest party?
The numbers game is being played out now. The arithmetic is more important than ideology or party preferences. For the sake of real stability the Congress should join the Government, which is different from heading the Government and I am "Sonia is the rallying point" sure the Congress leaders will appreciate this. The situation today is that the BJP is on one side and all secular forces are on the other. There are parties opposed to the Congress even joining the Government. So the question of the Congress leading the Government does not arise. The UF and the Congress should reconsider their respective positions about the Congress joining the Government.
Is your support to K. R. Narayanan for presidentship an attempt to preempt Gowda and Kesri?
It had been the convention to promote the vice- president as president. Narayanan is an erudite scholar and has conducted the Upper House of Parliament with enormous dignity. He seems to be the ideal choice as he will also be the first Dalit president of the country. One should not politicise my views on this.
